Summer 2023 Newsletter
The population of Marekamp reflects the population of Eswatini with the majority under twenty or in their teens. It is a trafficking hot spot because girls learn in Primary School that the necessities of life could be acquired by giving themselves for the use of their benefactors. As a result, there is a hefty population of pregnant teens, no skills, no jobs and limited access to school because most of them lack the required ID for admission…
March 2023 Newsletter
In the Kingdom of Eswatini, one out of every five children does not complete high school. Challenges begin at the primary school level even though education at this level is free except for ‘top up’ fees, school uniforms and bus fare for many to attend school. For orphans and vulnerable children for whom a daily meal is a struggle, these minor expenses pose a major barrier to education.
Fall 2022 Newsletter
Today, another child is born. The offspring of a mother who just had her first menstrual period. I have known her for eight years and discovered that she may have been trafficking for at least half of her young life. Whenever I visited Eswatini, when she was around seven years old and still in Primary school, she would come along with her sister and they would sleep on the empty bed in my hotel room or on blankets on the floor. They would lie at the foot of my bed while I tried to compress half a decade of mothering into a few hours.
Summer 2022 Newsletter
In the wake of the Covid pandemic, Eswatini (formerly, Swaziland) has been staggering beneath double blows. Fifteen years ago when SOHO began as a ministry to a staggering population of orphans in the small kingdom, one third of the country was affected by HIV/AIDS and until two years ago, the country had the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world. Today, with a prevalence rate of 26%, the country with a population of 1.2 million still struggles to meet the needs of 120,000 plus orphans and vulnerable children.
Winter 2022 Newsletter
The gift of Hope is like a breath of life. After 15 years of serving orphans and vulnerable children in Eswatini, SOHO seeks to expand its reach to address the growing needs intensified by Covid 19 and social unrest in the small Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly, Swaziland). The resources needed to heal, educate, feed and nurture children come from compassionate hearts that give funds to grow Hope.
Artists from three continents have come together as Friends of SOHO to acknowledge this important milestone and to help us generate the resources to meet the greater needs that confront us. In this Newsletter, we want to share stories of where HOPE saved lives and to share with you an Evening Of HOPE with SOHO and Friends that will be truly memorable.
Fall 2021 Newsletter
During this season of celebration and thanksgiving, we pause to thank YOU, our supporters who have given of your resources to help the children we serve. Child-headed households are living situations where a child is the decision-maker and where there is no identifiable extended family to take care of them. That is our target population along with vulnerable children who may be at risk although they may have a caregiver.
Summer 2021 Newsletter
Swaziland is experiencing political unrest. South Africa, which surrounds this tiny kingdom, is experiencing politically driven violence, looting and burning. The crisis that is resulting for orphans and vulnerable children will only intensify. Excessive food and fuel shortage, inconsistency in education, physical and emotional trauma for many is the result. SOHO is collaborating with academic and business partners to address three critical issues.
An Evening of Hope – Livestream Event
SOHO AND FRIENDS PRESENTS
AN EVENING OF
Hope for the future • Hope for the present
March 17, 2022 • 7pm CST
Light shines best when the darkness is deepest. Against the backdrop of a pandemic that has wreaked economic havoc and increased the challenge of survival for the marginalized poor, SOHO and Friends present a memorable Evening Of HOPE. This Virtual event which will live-stream from Oakwood University’s Media Center, shares through music, and inspiring comments, the message of Hope for the Present and Hope for the future.
Alvin Chea
Event Host
Guest Artist
Sonya Sampson
Producer
Guest Artist
Gail Masondo
Co-Producer
Musical Director
Sibusiso Victor Masondo
Co-Producer
Musical Director
FEATURED ARTISTS
Anika Anderson
Babbie Mason
Beth Nielsen Chapman
Gcina Nhlapho
Naledi Masilo
Noelle Parrino
Roxana Pavel
Verona Pillay
AMARII
The Chitans
BLACK VOICES
Aeolians
Brenden and Mpoomy
Committed
